• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2008

A decrease in the ability to maintain static and dynamic balance after stroke could be related to the inability to select reliable sensory information in producing relative motor action needed to maintain postural stability. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two different types of surface conditions on the balancing ability of subjects with stroke. Eighteen hemiparetic subjects were assigned to an experimental and control group participating in a six－week rehabilitative therapeutic exercise program focusing on balance and mobility. Exercises were performed 3 to 5 times per week in a stable surface condition by the control group, and in an unstable surface condition by the experimental group. Pre－ and post test assessments involved the measurement of the static balance and dynamic balance, respectively by 7－item Berg Balance Scale－3P and by Pro－3 Balance System. Results showed that under the unstable surface condition, static balance in the experimental group showed more improvement than that of the control group.(Statistically, not very significant.) All the aspects of dynamic balance and mediolateral sway(balance) improved significantly than those of the control group. However, there were no significant differences between two groups. Overall, it can be concluded that under the unstable surface condition, the rehabilitative therapeutic exercise programs are effective in improving the dynamic balance of stroke subjects. The results suggest that the adaptation of the unstable surface in the rehabilitative therapeutic exercises could be effective for the patients with hemiplegia in balance. Further studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of the unstable surface on improving balance and postural stability of hemiplegics.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.5296-5303
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• 2015

This study aimed to analyze the effect of flexi-bar exercise on changes in postural alignment and balance of juvenile soccer players. The subjects were juveniles soccer players divided into exercise and control groups of 10 players each. The exercise group performed a flexi-bar exercise for 30 minutes a day three times weekly for eight weeks, and the differences in postural alignment and balance before and after the experiment and between study groups were analyzed. The measurements before the subjects exercised revealed overall asymmetric postural alignments and balance toward the right and rear sides. The study results showed that the exercise group had a statistically significant improvement in the height and angle of both shoulder, scapula, pelvis and hands(p<.05) after performing the exercise. Changes in balance showed that the exercise group had statistically significant reduction in changes in curve length(p<.05). The study verified that flexi-bar exercise can be effective for improving the postural alignment and balance of juvenile soccer players.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Augmented Reality-based Postural Control (ARPC) training on balance and gait function in patients with stroke. Design: Single-blind randomized controlled trial. Methods: Twenty participants who experienced a stroke were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to the ARPC (n=10) or control group (n=10). Subjects in both groups received conventional physical therapy for 60 min per session, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. In addition, subjects in the ARPC group received ARPC training for 30 min per day, 3 days per week, for 4 weeks. The participants watched established normal postural control patterns on a head-mounted display and repeated the movements in ARPC training. Outcome measurements were assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT) before and after 4 weeks of training. Results: Of the 20 randomized participants, only 18 completed the 4-week training program. The ARPC group showed significant improvement in the BBS and 10MWT after training (p<0.05). Meanwhile, the control group did not exhibit improvement in either variable. In addition, the ARPC group showed significantly greater improvement than the control group in the 10MWT (p<0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed between the groups for the BBS. Conclusions: The results of this study confirmed the benefits of ARPC training on dynamic balance and functional gait ability. Additionally, this study may provide evidence supporting the use of an ARPC training program for improving balance and gait ability in patients after a chronic stroke.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2021

Purpose: This study examined the effects of the type of video contents used for action observations on the ability to control posture. Methods: The participants were 48 healthy adults. The two hands of the participants were crossed on both shoulders, and the other foot was placed in a straight line in front of the target to allow them to watch a video of the monitor. The videos were presented in random order with three video contents (natural, stable balance posture, and unstable balance posture) consisting of 30 seconds each. A 15-second resting time was given between each video. During action observation using various video content forms, the posture control ability was measured using a TekScan MetScan^® system. Results: The results revealed statistically significant differences in the area of movement and the distance by COP and distance by the type of action-observation videos, and the distance by the anteroposterior and mediolateral sides (p<0.05). The stable balance posture and unstable balance posture video showed significant differences in the distance by the COP, anteroposterior, and mediolateral distance. (p<0.05) Conclusion: This study suggests that choosing the contents of the videos is important during action-observation training, and action-observation training can help improve postural control.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.70-75
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of static and dynamic balance control ability according to the stability of shoes in elderly woman and female university student. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Six elderly women and seven female university students were recruited for this study. The subject's static and dynamic balance were evaluated while wearing two different types of shoes (comfortable running shoe and masai walking shoe). The BT4 system was used to measure the static (postural sway area and velocity) and dynamic balance (limit of stability on forward, backward and left and right side). The measurement of static and dynamic balance control ability was performed in standing posture wearing comfortable running shoes and masai walking shoes. Results: In the static balance control ability, both female university students and elderly women showed significant increase in postural sway area and velocity when wearing unstable shoes (p<0.05) In addition, in the dynamic balance control ability, both female university students and elderly women showed significant decrease in limit of stability on forward and backward when wearing unstable shoes (p<0.05). Conclusion: In selecting shoes for the elderly, the stability of shoe should be considered for prevention of falls.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.23-36
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• 1999

The very definitions of posture and balance have changed, as has our understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms, In rehabilitation science, there awe at least two different conceptual theories to describe the neural control of posture and balance : the reflex/hierarchical theory and system theory. A reflex/hierarchical theory suggests the posture and balance result from hierarchically organized reflex responses triggered by independent sensory systems. The systems approach suggests that action emerges from an interaction of the individual with the task and environment. That is to say, the systems approach implies that the ability to control our body's position in space emerges from a complex interaction of musculoskeletal and neural systems, collectively referred to as the postural control system. The specific organization of postural systems determined both by the functional task and the environment in which it is being performed, The postural control system is divided into three basic functional components for assessment : 1) musculoskeletal components, 2) motor coordination components, and 3) sensory organization components. It is proposed that a systemic functional understanding of human balance is critical to effective programs for balance rehabilitation. Thus, this article briefly reviews the basic functional components to consider in designing treatment plan and for the benefit of the balance assessment.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.165-170
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• 2020

Objective: To investigate the association between one-leg standing ability and postural control for chronic hemiparetic stroke. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Forty individuals who had a first diagnosis of stroke with hemiparesis before six months and over had participated in this study. To analyze the relationship between one-leg standing ability and postural control in the participants, six clinical measurement tools were used for assessment, including the Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) test, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), 5 times sit-to-stand (5TSTS) and one-leg standing (OLS). Results: After analyzation, the OLS scores in the more-affected side showed significant positive correlations with BBS scores (r=0.469, p<0.01), DGI scores (r=0.459, p<0.01).and FMA scores (r=0.425, p<0.01). The OLS scores in the more-affected side showed significant negative correlations with TUG score (r=-0.351, p<0.05). The OLS score in the less-affected side showed significant positive correlations with BBS scores (r=0.485, p<0.01), DGI scores (r=0.488, p<0.01) and FMA score (r=0.352, p<0.05). The OLS scores in the less-affected side showed significant negative correlation with TUG scores (r=-0.392, p<0.05) and 5TSTS (r= -0.430, p<0.01). The OLS scores in the more-affected side showed significant positive correlations with the OLS scores in less-affected side (r=0.712, p<0.01). Conclusions: The results of the study suggest that the OLS time may be moderately correlated with static and dynamic postural stabilities and motor recovery following stroke. This study also suggests that the OLS test is as a simple clinical tool for predicting postural control performance for individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.165-169
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• 2017

Objective: The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and Y-Balance Test (YBT) have been commonly applied to measure dynamic postural stability ability. These two tests are utilized interchangeably in various settings. However, they could in fact require different movements to assess dynamic postural stability, as one uses a platform and different measuring techniques than the other. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the kinematic patterns in physically active population while performing the SEBT and the YBT. Method: Seventy participants performed in the Anterior (AN), Posteromedial (PM), and Posterolateral (PL) directions of the SEBT and the YBT. The kinematics of hip, knee, and ankle in sagittal plane was calculated and analyzed. Paired-sample t-tests were performed to compare joint angular displacement in the ankle, knee, and hip between the SEBT and the YBT. Results: Significant differences in angular displacement at the hip, knee, and ankle joints in the sagittal plane between performance on the SEBT and on the YBT were observed. Conclusion: Clinicians and researchers should not apply these dynamic postural control tasks interchangeably from one task to another. There appear to be kinematic pattern differences between tests in healthy physical active population.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.985-988
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• 2004

This paper proposes a new training system for equilibrium sense and postural control using unstable platform and force plate. This system consists of unstable platform, force plate, computer interface, software and the computer. Using this system and training programs, we perform the experiment to train the equilibrium sense and postural control of subject. To evaluate the effects of balance training, we measured some parameters such as the maintaining time in the target, the moving time to the target and the mean absolute deviation of the trace before and after training. The result shows that this system can improve the equilibrium sense and balance ability of subject. This study shows that proposed system had an effect on improving equilibrium sense and postural control and might be applied to clinical rehabilitation training as a new effective balance training system.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.15-23
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Interferential current stimulation therapy(ICT) on pain, balance, and walking ability of elderly patients with chronic low back pain. Methods: Twenty participants were randomly assigned to ICT group (2 males and 8 females) and placebo ICT group (3 males and 7 females). Participants were ICT and placebo ICT for 20 minutes, and the pre- and post-VAS, TUG and postural balance were measured. Results: The ICT group showed significantly decreased pain scores in the elderly patients with chronic low back pain (p<.05) than the placebo ICT group. The postural fluctuation with eyes opened and closed was significantly lower than the placebo ICT group(p<.05), and the ICT group showed remarkable improvement (p<.05). Conclusion: ICT was expected to improve decrease pain, improve postureal sway and walking ability remarkably. Therefore, It was expected that the application or ICT would be an effective method for elderly patients with Chronic Low Back Pain.